Archive for
January 15th, 2012

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul, who suffered a strained left hamstring during the fourth quarter of last night’s Clippers victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, underwent an MRI today which was labeled negative for any significant findings.

Paul, who has averaged 18.0 points, 8.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 2.78 steals and 37.3 minutes in nine games played this season, will be listed as day to day and is questionable for tomorrow’s game vs. New Jersey.

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have assigned Dominique Jones to the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League.

Jones (6-5, 215) has played in nine games with the Mavericks and is averaging 1.8 points, 0.9 rebounds and 4.0 minutes while shooting .400 (6-15 FGs) from the field and 1.000 (4-4 FTs) from the free throw line.

This is Jones’ second stint with the Texas Legends as he played 10 games for the team last season. In those contests, he averaged 18.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 37.5 minutes.

The Legends host the Tulsa 66ers on HP Court at Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco this Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7 pm.

The Portland Trail Blazers have recalled point guard Armon Johnson from the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League, it was announced today by Acting General Manager Chad Buchanan.

In five games with the Stampede, Johnson averaged 11.8 points, 7.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds. He put up a season-high 19 points to go along with two assists and five rebounds Jan. 9 against the Erie Bayhawks.

Johnson and teammate Luke Babbitt were assigned to the Stampede by the Trail Blazers on Jan. 4.

Johnson will be available for Monday afternoon’s game against the New Orleans Hornets.

“I’m not even trying to think about it,” Rose said. “I’m playing. To me, that was a thing of the past, and I’m just trying to get over it.”

Rose reported no additional soreness after he had 25 points, seven assists and four rebounds in Friday night’s victory in Boston. He’s still wearing a walking boot because it’s more comfortable than a shoe, and he’s still wearing an insole. Other than that, he said he’s not even thinking about his toe.

“If anything, [the training staff is] just worried about me re-injuring it because I came back kind of soon,” Rose said. “I was fine and I wanted to play [Friday], so it was up to me.”

He scored 18 points in 41 minutes on Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors.

What’s on Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni’s mind? Not only the return from injury of Carmelo Anthony, but also the looming Knicks debut of Baron Davis.

Davis is getting closer and closer to returning from a herniated disk and a person familiar with the situation said the guard will take a big leap in his rehab this week by starting full running drills and some contact basketball drills.

It’s not out of the question for him to be cleared for practice by next weekend and a late-January debut has become more likely than not.

Last night after the Knicks lost, 104-92, to the Thunder, D’Antoni said optimistically, “Melo will be back pretty soon and hopefully Baron’s around the corner and we’ll see what we got.’’

As his Martin Luther King Day reunion with the Los Angeles Lakers approaches, Lamar Odom has revealed that he was “real close” to walking away from the game for a season — or perhaps longer — well before his December trade to the Dallas Mavericks.

Left reeling by the July murder of his 24-year-old cousin and a fatal car accident days later that killed a teen pedestrian after the car he was riding in as a passenger collided with a motorcycle, Odom told ESPN.com that he had to be convinced by wife Khloe Kardashian to scrap his plans for a hiatus.

“Real close,” Odom said when asked Saturday how close he came to asking the Lakers for a season-long sabbatical.

“My wife talked me out of it.

“Cause I was asking myself: ‘Was I mentally prepared to play? If I didn’t play well, was I mentally prepared to help the team?’ I had thought, ‘Maybe I need a year.’ Because of the lockout, I thought, ‘Maybe somebody’s sending me a sign that I needed this time off.’

“(But) when I told some of my friends and my family that I was thinking about steppin’ back for a minute, I think the reaction from the closest people to me kind of gave me the energy to get back at it.”

Kobe Bryant and Vanessa are well on their way to becoming single … because we’ve learned Kobe has already transferred title on two of his mansions over to his soon-to-be ex-wife.

TMZ has checked official records … which show on January 5th, Kobe surrendered his interest in 2 of their estates to Vanessa … on that same day Vanessa surrendered her interest in a 3rd home to Kobe.

As far as who got what … the title transfers don’t list addresses, but our sources say Vanessa is now the full owner of the mansion she shared with Kobe in Newport Coast. As for the second home Vanessa now owns in full … it’s the nearby mansion where her mother has been living.